Since the 1960s, SkillsUSA has been working with CTE and high schools across the country to encourage students to get involved in and learn about more than 120 different trades.   

After many years of effort, the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) finally got roofing accepted into the SkillsUSA program as one of the trades offered. They then created a standardized curriculum that each state could follow and chose a TPO roofing system as the product type to learn. Then the real work began.

NRCA attempted to get the individual states to add roofing to their SkillsUSA curricula while also encouraging the high schools/CTE schools [KE1] to adopt the program. Ultimately, what is needed is support from the local roofing industry.

NRCA worked with its members to mentor students from four states who advanced to compete at the national competition in Atlanta in 2023. That number grew the following year to 12 states and now, in 2025, 15 states are represented, with California sending its first student.

How we got exposure for roofing as an accepted trade is by students competing in roofing at the national SkillsUSA competition. Schools come by and have been interested in adding roofing to their CTE programs. And the word spreads.

Such a school was the Kern County High School District. Chad Wright, the construction trades instructor, was at the national championships and wanted to add roofing to their training options. He persistently requested roofing be added to the California SkillsUSA competitions. After a last-minute approval, he reached out to the NRCA to help with the necessary curriculum and training materials.

Kern County needed roofing industry support for the upcoming Ontario competition. Having no industry support in their own community, NRCA contacted the RCASoCal, which rallied together the rest of the resources for the competition.

All of this culminated on a beautiful April day, in Ontario, Calif., with four students dressed in uniforms and full fall protection, and with a four-hour window, installed insulation and TPO, cutting and welding around penetration and corners. Beforehand, the students took a written test and received safety training before moving onto the installation. They did their best to complete the task and a winner was chosen.

Never before was it so apparent to me the true meaning of "it takes a village." This event came to fruition because of a little help from a lot of people.

Who To Thank

Chad Wright from Kern High School gets a big thanks for stopping by the SkillsUSA Roofing Pavilion in Atlanta last year and being inspired enough to fight for roofing in California.

Let’s also thank June Brentanos and Amy Staska at NRCA for providing the communication, foundation and knowledge so this could be developed to benefit Southern California.

Let’s thank Shane Muncy from NRCA for flying to Bakersfield from Nashville, then on to Ontario, to assist the students. Without him knowing how to set it up, do the paperwork, and the competition experience, this never would have happened.

Let’s also thank brothers Matt and Hector Guttierrez from Shell Roofing for driving three hours to Bakersfield to work with the students when they found out that no contractor stepped forward to mentor them.  

Let’s thank our competition judges, Ian Bailey at GAF Commercial and Robert Flores from KRGS Roofing, for spending time with the students, coaching and motivating them, and being our judges.  

Let’s thank Highland Commercial Roofing and HCI Equity Partners for their generous donation that provided the funding to launch our Workforce Development Program. This enabled us to provide the tools and equipment to the students for the competition and help our newly minted California winner get to Atlanta to represent our state.

Let’s thank Ryen Van Grol at Assembly Supplies Co. in Escondido, Calif., for loaning us the hot air tools for the competition. And Jeff Meinhart at Roofmaster Products for donating the fall protection gear for the competition.

Let’s thank RCASoCal Association President Brian Hoyt from Hoyt Roofing who, with 10 days’ notice, agreed to build and deliver four of the specially designed mock-ups, with a “No Problem.”

Let’s thank the 15 students who went through the NRCA TPO TRAC program and the four students, Fatima, Juan, Gregory and Hector, who were selected to compete. They trained before and after school to learn our trade.

Finally, I would like to remind myself and others about resisting the urge to not get involved. Think about what I would have missed. I encourage anyone to take the time to get involved, just a little bit. Remember, it only takes a little help from a lot of people to make a difference.

I am sure that those in attendance were all pretty touched by the experience, and we realized we were witnessing something special. After spending the time and learning about the process, there is no hesitation that the Roofing Contractors Association of Southern California and all the parties involved will be back next year with some local schools of our own.   

SkillsUSA and other CTE programs are an important step in changing the perception of the roofing industry and securing its future.

How To Help:

• Be available for the donations of tools, equipment, supplies, and money.
• Volunteer to build an installation mock-up in a school or for the state competition.
• Be a contractor mentor to a high school or ROP class.
• Help in reaching out to ROP centers and High Schools.
• Retire from the ladder and become a teacher in the next CTE school.